Snacks to take hiking: 20 bar & ball recipes

In all honesty, there’s been more than one occasion when our hiking snacks were energy bars picked up from a convenience store on the drive to the trailhead. Sometimes you wake up and decide to go hiking and don’t have any appropriate snacks in the house. But I think we can all agree that homemade energy bars taste better than the ones you can buy at the convenience store; thus, I’m trying to get better at planning ahead and always having snacks to take hiking (and really, just for all times) on hand.

I have a few requirements for hiking snacks: they should hold up well in a backpack, obviously, and not need to be refrigerated or heated up. I prefer my snacks to be energy-dense, since tough hikes burn a lot of calories and leave my stomach rumbling. For that reason, you’ll see a lot of nuts, nut butters, seeds, and dried fruits in these recipes. It’s nice if the recipe only calls for ingredients I usually keep stocked, but honestly, I just substitute with abandon if I’m missing something. No guarantees on the outcome if you try this, but this type of recipe tends to be pretty forgiving.

All images in this post are courtesy of the recipe creators; be a decent person and don’t steal them. Now let’s get started with the energy and granola bar recipes!

A note before we get into the ball recipes: most of these recipes call for the balls to be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. In my experience, this is because they become squishy and/or sticky at room temperature. Since they’re better at cold temperatures, energy balls are perfect snacks to take hiking in cold weather. If you’re picky about texture, though, you might want to opt for other snacks in hot weather.

Oh – how I love hiking – one of my favorite ways to spend time outdoors. These snack options really look great and you created quite an impressive list. The chickpea and cinnamon looks like an interesting combo. Thanks, Hannah!Lori @ TheHealthMinded.com recently posted…How Travel Can Lead You To An Amazingly Healthier Life

Nice recipes. I am obsessed with all kinds of energy and protein bars. Went on a hiking trip with friends in Northern Sweden a few years ago. There was basically no store for 4-5 days of walking, so I had my backpack filled up with bars haha.Marcus@strengthery recently posted…Best Handheld Massager For Athletes